A Model for the Prediction of Subgrade Soil Resilient Modulus for Flexible-pavement Design

A Model for the Prediction of Subgrade Soil Resilient Modulus for Flexible-pavement Design
Author: Beresford O. A. Davies
Publisher:
Total Pages: 182
Release: 2004
Genre: Pavements
ISBN:

Subgrade soil plays a very important role in the construction of roadways. Before the use of asphalt in the construction of roadway, roads were being constructed based on experience. The introduction of paving asphalt in road construction has led to the development of engineering procedures and designs for the methods of construction. The resilient modulus of the underlying material supporting the pavement is now considered as a key material property in the AASHTO mechanistic-empirical design procedure. Attempts have been made by researchers to predict the Subgrade resilient modulus from laboratory/field experimental methods based on the soil properties. This research seeks to develop a model for predicting the subgrade resilient modulus due to environmental conditions by considering the seasonal variation of temperature and moisture content which affects the soil. The limitation of this research model is that it cannot be used universally since environmental conditions vary from place to place, however, it can be modified to suit other local environmental conditions. The detrimental effect of low resilient modulus of subgrade soil is observed in the damaged analysis.

Estimation of Subgrade Soils Resilient Modulus from In-situ Devices Test Results

Estimation of Subgrade Soils Resilient Modulus from In-situ Devices Test Results
Author: Louay N. Mohammad
Publisher:
Total Pages: 9
Release: 2009
Genre: Geogauge
ISBN:

Field and laboratory testing programs were conducted to develop resilient modulus prediction models for application in the design and evaluation procedures of pavement structures. The field testing program included conducting several in-situ tests such as Geogauge, Light Falling Weight Deflectometer, and Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP). The laboratory program consisted of performing repeated load triaxial resilient modulus tests, physical properties, and compaction tests on soil samples obtained from tested sections. A total of four subgrade soil types at different moisture-dry unit weight levels were considered. Comprehensive statistical analyses were conducted on the field and laboratory test results. Two sets of models were developed. The first set (direct model) directly relates the laboratory measured resilient modulus values with the results of each of the three in-situ devices, whereas the second set (soil property model) incorporates soil properties in addition to the results of each of the three in-situ devices. A good agreement was observed between the predicted and measured values of the resilient modulus. Furthermore, the results showed that the resilient modulus prediction was enhanced when the soil properties were included as variables within the models. Among the models developed, the DCP-soil property model had the best prediction of resilient modulus followed by the DCP-direct model. The effectiveness of the DCP models were further evaluated during a forensic analysis of pavement section failure in a highway within Louisiana.

Metaheuristics in Water, Geotechnical and Transport Engineering

Metaheuristics in Water, Geotechnical and Transport Engineering
Author: Xin-She Yang
Publisher: Newnes
Total Pages: 503
Release: 2012-09
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 0123982960

Due to an ever-decreasing supply in raw materials and stringent constraints on conventional energy sources, demand for lightweight, efficient and low cost structures has become crucially important in modern engineering design. This requires engineers to search for optimal and robust design options to address design problems that are often large in scale and highly nonlinear, making finding solutions challenging. In the past two decades, metaheuristic algorithms have shown promising power, efficiency and versatility in solving these difficult optimization problems. This book examines the latest developments of metaheuristics and their applications in water, geotechnical and transport engineering offering practical case studies as examples to demonstrate real world applications. Topics cover a range of areas within engineering, including reviews of optimization algorithms, artificial intelligence, cuckoo search, genetic programming, neural networks, multivariate adaptive regression, swarm intelligence, genetic algorithms, ant colony optimization, evolutionary multiobjective optimization with diverse applications in engineering such as behavior of materials, geotechnical design, flood control, water distribution and signal networks. This book can serve as a supplementary text for design courses and computation in engineering as well as a reference for researchers and engineers in metaheursitics, optimization in civil engineering and computational intelligence. Provides detailed descriptions of all major metaheuristic algorithms with a focus on practical implementation Develops new hybrid and advanced methods suitable for civil engineering problems at all levels Appropriate for researchers and advanced students to help to develop their work

Advances in Transportation Geotechnics IV

Advances in Transportation Geotechnics IV
Author: Erol Tutumluer
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 971
Release: 2021-08-30
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030772306

This volume presents selected papers presented during the 4th International Conference on Transportation Geotechnics (ICTG). The papers address the geotechnical challenges in design, construction, maintenance, monitoring, and upgrading of roads, railways, airfields, and harbor facilities and other ground transportation infrastructure with the goal of providing safe, economic, environmental, reliable and sustainable infrastructures. This volume will be of interest to postgraduate students, academics, researchers, and consultants working in the field of civil and transport infrastructure.

Correlation Between Resilient Modulus (MR) of Soil, Light Weight Deflectometer (LWD), and Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD)

Correlation Between Resilient Modulus (MR) of Soil, Light Weight Deflectometer (LWD), and Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD)
Author: Sung Soo Park
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2018-10-15
Genre:
ISBN: 9781622605002

INDOT adopted the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) beginning January 1, 2009, which is based on the FHWA Long Term Pavement Performance (LTTP) field study. The resilient modulus of the soil, MR, is required to implement the new design guide, as well as the pavement input parameters. The soil resilient modulus test requires special, expensive, equipment, significant time investment and effort, which has led researchers to develop MR prediction models and alternative methods to estimate the resilient modulus using non-destructive tests such as Falling Weight Deflectometer, FWD, Light Weight Deflectometer, LWD, and Dynamic Cone Penetrometer, DCP. The objectives of the project are geared toward a practical approach for pavement design procedures to effectively determine the soil resilient modulus for rehabilitation projects, targeting specifically untreated subgrade soils type A-6 and A-7-6. A total of four sites in Indiana were selected to conduct FWD, LWD, and DCP tests, as well as resilient modulus tests in the laboratory. In addition to the output from the four sites, additional data were collected from the data repository of INDOT which has geotechnical and pavement information. Extensive analysis and comparisons were done in an attempt at establishing relationships between the field tests and the laboratory results. The study showed the following: (1) High quality FWD tests conducted on top of the pavement can be used to estimate the subgrade MR, as long as site conditions and pavement layers thickness are well known; (2) the results of FWD tests on top of the subgrade are not reliable, as they are affected by the low confinement of the soils; and (3) LWD and DCP tests can be used to provide and assessment of the quality and uniformity of the subgrade, but do not provide reliable estimates of the stiffness of the subgrade.

Characterization of Subgrade Resilient Modulus for Virginia Soils and Its Correlation with the Results of Other Soil Tests

Characterization of Subgrade Resilient Modulus for Virginia Soils and Its Correlation with the Results of Other Soil Tests
Author: M. Shabbir Hossain
Publisher:
Total Pages: 32
Release: 2008
Genre: Soils
ISBN:

In 2004, the Guide for the Mechanistic-Empirical Design of New & Rehabilitated Pavement Structures (MEPDG) was developed under NCHRP Project 1-37A to replace the currently used 1993 Guide for Design of Pavement Structures by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, which has an empirical approach. Implementation of the MEPDG requires the mechanistic characterization of pavement materials and the calibration of performance prediction models by the user agencies. The purpose of this study was (1) to determine the resilient modulus values for Virginia's subgrade soils for input into MEPDG design/analysis efforts, and (2) to investigate the possible correlation of the resilient modulus with other soil properties. Although the MEPDG provides default values and correlations for resilient modulus, they are based on a limited number of tests and may not be applicable for Virginia soils and aggregates. The possible correlation of the resilient modulus with other soil properties was investigated because such correlations could be used for smaller projects where costly and complex resilient modulus testing is not justified. More than 100 soil samples from all over Virginia representing every physiographic region were collected for resilient modulus, soil index properties, standard Proctor, and California Bearing Ratio testing. Resilient modulus values and regression coefficients (k-values) of constitutive models for resilient modulus for typical Virginia soils were successfully computed. There were no statistically significant correlations between the resilient modulus and all other test results, with the exception of those for the quick shear test, for which the correlation was very strong (R2 = 0.98). The study recommends that the Virginia Department of Transportation's Materials Division (1) implement resilient modulus testing for characterizing subgrade soils in MEPDG Level 1 pavement design/analysis, and (2) use the quick shear test to predict the resilient modulus values of fine soils using the relationships developed in this study for MEPDG Level 2 design/analysis

Modelling of the Resilient and Permanent Deformation Behaviour of Subgrade Soils and Unbound Granular Materials

Modelling of the Resilient and Permanent Deformation Behaviour of Subgrade Soils and Unbound Granular Materials
Author: Haithem Soliman
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2015
Genre:
ISBN:

Laboratory characterization of subgrade soils and unbound granular materials is an essential component of the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (Pavement ME). The design thickness and performance of a pavement structure are highly dependent on the deformation behaviour of subgrade and granular material. Specifications for granular materials vary among transportation agencies based on the availability of materials, climatic conditions, and function. Specifications aim to provide durable materials that meet design requirements and achieve the target design life with cost effective materials. The objectives of the research are to: • evaluate resilient modulus of typical fine-grained soils under traffic loading. • evaluate resilient modulus, permanent deformation, and permeability of typical unbound granular materials. • evaluate the effect of moisture and fines fraction on the performance of unbound granular materials and subgrade soil. • develop prediction models for resilient modulus to improve reliability of Level 2 inputs in the Pavement ME. • provide test data in support of updating Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation specifications for unbound granular materials to improve the performance of pavement structures. Resilient modulus tests were conducted on three types of subgrade soil (high plastic clay, sandy clay, and silty sand/sandy silt) at four levels of moisture content. Resilient modulus, permanent deformation and permeability tests were conducted on six gradations representing two types of granular material (100% crushed limestone and gravel) at two levels of moisture content. Prediction models were developed for resilient modulus and compared to the models developed under the Long Term Pavement Performance program. The proposed models provided more reliable predictions with lower root mean square error. The deformation behaviour of the granular materials was classified according to the shakedown and dissipated energy approaches. Among the tested fines contents, limestone and gravel materials with optimum fines contents of 4.5% and 9%, respectively, had better resistance to plastic deformation and higher resilient modulus. The dissipated energy approach can be used to determine the stress ratio for the boundary between post compaction and stable zones from multistage triaxial testing. Result of permeability tests showed that the hydraulic conductivity of unbound granular material increased as the fines content decreased.

Field and Laboratory Determination of Subgrade Resilient Modulus and Its Application in Pavement Design

Field and Laboratory Determination of Subgrade Resilient Modulus and Its Application in Pavement Design
Author: Richard Ji
Publisher:
Total Pages: 11
Release: 2014
Genre: Flexible pavement design
ISBN:

This paper presents a comparison study of the experimental results from the falling weight deflectometer (FWD) test and laboratory resilient modulus test on granular subgrade materials and its application in flexible pavement design. Field and laboratory testing programs were conducted to develop a practical methodology for estimating resilient modulus (Mr) values of subgrade soils for use in the design of pavement structures. Soil characterization database was established for lab testing. A multiple regression model can be used to predict Mr value using several factors including soil properties, soil type and state of stresses for three popular American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) soil types (A-4, A-6, and A-7-6) in Indiana, and these prediction models developed were verified compared with laboratory Mr tests with high R2 value. In situ Mr seasonal variation based on abundant FWD test data in five field testing sites spread in Indiana was conducted in order to find the correlation between resilient modulus, temperature, and precipitation for the period from 2006 to 2012. The proposed method can accurately predict subgrade Mr of lab testing. However results from lab testing are significantly lower than recommended range by mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide (MEPDG) and backcalculation one using an adjust factor of 3. The design examples showed that the seasonal variation of temperature and precipitation as well as traffic can affect the design thickness by as much as 15 to 20 % in general. The findings of this study are expected to be helpful in the implementation of the pavement design in Indiana and elsewhere.